Apex DRX9100 at Meijer

[sullen]

Hello. Was looking through the Sunday ads today and ran across this recorder. I just bought the Pioneer DVR-225, but lordsmurf is really high on the Apex units. Anyone else seen this unit yet? Price at Meijer is $188.97. I wonder if it is on par with the 9000 in terms of video quality, but not on par with poor reliability. I will try to get out there today and check this unit out for more information. Meijer is big on Apex stuff so it is no surprise that they have this unit for sale. Will update when possible.

[xiaNaix]

The price is sure right but there is no mention of a new recorder on the Apex website or on the NerdOut forums. Let us know if it really exists. :P

[kabanero]

Here it is:

[lordsmurf]

Be sure to buy an extended warranty !!! 8)

[sullen]

I can do that at Meijer? Well...the revolving door on my credit card continues. Returned the Pioneer and bought this one. Out of the box it looks a bit cheap! I think it is the chromed buttons that give it that effect. Yeah I know, that is what I get for $188. They only had one and a sign up that you could get a raincheck because of problems with shipping.
Accessories included: 1 set of Audio RCAs, 1 set of A/V RCAs, 1 single video RCA, and 1 antenna/cable. Of course also a remote, batteries, and one blank +RW disc! Connections include: IN- 1 antenna/cable, 2 set A/V RCAs, and 2 S-Video. OUT- 1 set Progressive Scan YUV, 1 set A/V RCAs, 1 S-Video, 1 coaxial RCA audio out, and 1 optical out. It has a fan on the power chord side of the unit and on the top air fins to allow air to come in and flow out by way of the fan. I am at work right now, but can post pictures later today or tomorrow. I will also try to test the unit and see what audio/video it uses at different levels. Probably the same specs as the 9000. Any questions, post them and I will try to answer.

[sullen]

Alright...I had some time to do a little testing with this machine last night. I was thouroughly unimpressed. I was expecting a better picture based on lordsmurf's indications of the 9000, but saw no improvement in the picture. Actually, the picture was worse! The tuner had "sparkles" in it, especially noticeable when their was a flash in the picture. With a VHS capture the color "danced". When paused it looked like macro-blocks of color, not actual macroblocks where the picture was blocky, just the color was blocky. The picture from the RCAs and the tuner were both either overly white or the contrast was up with no contols to tone it down. The tray on this unit also opened HORRIBLY slow.

Whatever they did in the 9000 to make the picture better doesn't look it was implimented in this unit. Audio was implimented in AC3 on all recording levels. Bitrates, I didn't get to. This one is going back too. The search continues...

I have a few outside pictures that I will get up on my web space tonight and link them here. Didn't look under the hood. I could see a standard IDE cable for the drive through the holes in the bottom of the unit.

[lordsmurf]

Apex is a company that makes ones product quickly, markets it, and is working on the next one already. It doesn't even matter if the last one was good or bad, or whether the new one was good or bad. They just make, clear warehouse, sell, make more to fill warehouse, sell, etc

No telling what the guts of this unit is.

They also have a history of bad firmwares that takes a few months to catch up to the hardware. The 9000 was pretty terrible the first few months because of this.

Check out the JVC DRM10SL for a good unit.

[sullen]

As promised...pictures:

http://home.comcast.net/~rsimms3/IM001289.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rsimms3/IM001290.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rsimms3/IM001291.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rsimms3/IM001293.JPG